Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez tipped his hat to the fans after he was pulled in the seventh inning.

Ubaldo Jimenez, the most accomplished pitcher in franchise history and a loyal company man, has a habit of putting on his Rockies cap for postgame interviews. And he made it clear tonight that he wants to keep it there beyond the July 31 trading deadline.

Asked if he would tell general manager Dan O’Dowd that, Jimenez smiled and said, “I think he already knows.’’

With the deadline 11 days away, a handful of teams, most notably the Yankees, have inquired about Jimenez’s availability. While a deal appears unlikely, O’Dowd has listened.

Aaron Cook could be in the Rockies’ rotation for weeks to come. Then again, he may not be there after today.

Cook’s long-term future is clear. The Rockies and Cook have a mutual option for next season at $11 million, a salary the team isn’t about to pay him. He’ll instead receive a $500,000 buyout. Question is, what’s his short-term future?

Cook is 0-4, 5.82 in six starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list. He may need to pitch well this afternoon vs. the Brewers to stay in the rotation. Here are your lineups for this afternoon’s series finale at Coors Field:

ATLANTA — Following injuries to stars Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies flew Ian Stewart to Atlanta today, where he was activated. And, instead of using him to reinforce a limited bench, Stewart will start today at third base against the Braves.

To make room, the Rockies dropped rookie outfielder Cole Garner, who was called up Monday from Colorado Springs.

“This is an ideal opportunity for Ian Stewart,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said Tuesday. “This is Ian’s opportunity to step up and make a statement.”

The Rockies’ bench is short because of recent injuries. Gonzalez (bruised right wrist) is not expected to play until Thursday at the earliest. He won’t even attempt to swing a bat until Wednesday. Tulowitzki left Monday’s game in the fourth inning with a tight right quad. He won’t be in the lineup today, though he could return before the series ends on Thursday.

Paul Konerko is hitting .374 in June with 10 homers and 20 RBIs. So why mention it on a Thursday afternoon in Denver? Because Konerko isn’t in the White Sox’s lineup for this afternoon’s game at Coors Field.

He’s been replaced at first base by would-be DH Adam Dunn, he of the .173 batting average and American League-leading 100 strikeouts.

So there you have it. The game hasn’t even begun and the Rockies have already caught a break. Now all they have to do is go out and win the game.

It’s official: The Rockies will have a losing record at the midway point of the season.

Their record stands at 39-41 after tonight’s 3-2 loss to the White Sox. It was a defeat that, frankly, looked all too familiar.

A tight, low scoring game with a key play or two bound to make the difference. But instead of making that play, the Rockies experienced another frustrating night in what’s becoming a frustrating season.

Seth Smith understands that the next big step in his development as a big-time, big-league hitter is to show better against lefties.

Usually when the Rockies face a lefty starter, Smith finds himself planted on the bench, waiting for pinch-hitting duties. Remember, he’s hitting just .214 vs. left-handers in a scant 42 at-bats. Right-handers? No problems. He’s hitting .328.

Ty Wigginton (21) is congratulated by teammates after he drove in the winning run.

The Rockies going into tonight had 13 games remaining before the all-star break. It would be great if they were making a run and breathing down the Giants’ necks, but they’re not.

The real-world version reads like this: If the Rockies are going to make a move in the N.L. West, it’s probably going to have to wait until later in the season, given their youth — seven rookies on the roster — and injury issues.

“These 13 games become significant from the standpoint of, Are you able to continue to at least maintain yourself?’’ said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “Now if you go beyond that, that’s terrific. Obviously that’s the goal moving forward.’’

For now, with all those rookies going through on-the-job training and Jorge De La Rosa gone for the season, the Rockies are trying to hold serve. Tread water. Stay on the treadmill. Pick a term, any term, because they’re all applicable.

CLEVELAND — It won’t go down with Chris Webber’s phantom timeout or Jim “Wrong Way’’ Marshall’s errant run, but it certainly was the biggest mental gaffe in Rockies history. Now for what matters: It helped cost them a game tonight.

Let’s set the scene at Progressive Field.

Third inning, runners on second and third, Jason Hammel set to deliver a pitch to Travis Hafner. Except it never got to the plate. Or out of Hammel’s hand, for that matter.

Said Hammel: “I picked up the runner at third and looked home and started my motion and …’’

CLEVELAND — Barely a year ago, Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-hitter in Rockies history, but his manager, Jim Tracy, had more than a few mixed emotions about it.

Why? Because, in an era in which pitch counts are considered almost as important as the men who produce them, he left Jimenez on the mound for 128 pitches in an early-season game.

Tracy thought he was walking down the same road tonight during the Rockies’ 4-3 win over the Indians at Progressive Field. Except this time, it involved another of the Rockies’ dynamite young pitchers, Jhoulys Chacin.

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Ubaldo Jimenez, pitching against the Cardinals on Oct. 2, broke the franchise season strikeout record.

Is Ubaldo Jimenez concerned about missing his next start for the Rockies?

“No, not at all,” he said before Sunday’s game.

Jimenez (2-7, 4.68 ERA) got his first win at Coors Field since September Saturday night against the Detroit Tigers, but was forced off the mound in the sixth inning with a right-calf cramp. He felt twinges of pain in the second inning while running the bases after his two-run single to center field, but stuck it out until back-to-back singles from the Tigers in the sixth.

“First I started feeling it when I was running from first to third, and then in that last inning,” Jimenez said.

Before Sunday’s game, he made it clear that he wasn’t worried about the cramp. If he stayed in the game, he said, it may have turned into a more serious injury. When the pain was making it difficult for him to push off the mound, he said he knew it was time to get out while he could, injury-free.

Manager Jim Tracy confirmed that Jimenez will start against the Yankees later this week.

“I fully expect him to start Friday night in New York,” Tracy said. “It’ll be an interesting challenge for Ubaldo to pitch at Yankee Stadium.”

He notched the win, his second of the season, allowing three earned runs, eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Matt Pagnozzi will play catcher in his first Rockies game today, replacing Jose Morales who was placed on 60-day DL with a fractured right thumb.

Detroit pitcher Daniel Schlereth with dad Mark Schlereth, former NFL player and current ESPN analyst, and family at Coors Field in Denver for a game against the Rockies..

Mark Schlereth isn’t a former Bronco or an ESPN analyst this weekend. He’s a dad.

Schlereth and his entire family, including his father Herb and mother Janette, who flew in from Anchorage, Alaska, are spending the weekend at Coors Field pulling for Schlereth’s son, Daniel, a left-handed reliever for the Tigers.

“When we saw the schedule at the beginning of the year, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I can’t believe he’s in Denver on Father’s Day. This couldn’t be any better.’’

If the Rockies are going to win the N.L. West — not make a run, not hang in there, but actually win it — they’re going to have to catch some lightning in a bottle. And their best chance to do it is named Charlie Blackmon.

“You can’t say enough about what Charlie has done since he’s been up here,’’ said Troy Tulowitzki. “He’s a young kid, but he’s playing way older than what he is. Good at-bats, he’s putting the ball in play. … He’s really given us a spark.’’

With the Rockies leading the Padres 6-2 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, manager Jim Tracy elected to let reliever Rex Brothers hit. Or, more to the point, watch three pitches sail past him in his first major league at-bat.

No, Tracy hasn’t forgotten how to manage. He could hear fans boo. And he knows all about the ongoing seven-run promotion — the Rockies had six at the time — that gets fans cheap tacos from a certain fast-food chain.

Trouble was, he already had used Matt Lindstrom and Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt were unavailable because their tanks were running on empty. So it was that Seth Smith was standing in the mouth of the dugout, but never made a pinch-hitting appearance.

The Padres arrived in Denver with a slew of roster moves. They added rookie righty Anthony Bass from Double-A. The 23-year-old will make his major-league debut on the mound today against Rockies veteran Aaron Cook. Bass pitches in place of Aaron Harang, who was moved to the disabled list with a right-foot bruise.

Enough already with the e-mails, texts and tweets questioning why Jim Tracy took Todd Helton out of the game before the ninth inning Friday night.

If you guessed it was because Helton is 37 and the Rockies still have 99 games to go, advance to Go and collect 200 bucks.

Tracy said after the game that Helton needed a rest. And it will continue today with Jason Giambi playing first base and Helton taking the day off. Seth Smith also is out of the Rockies lineup after fouling a ball of his foot Friday night. Rockies manager Jim Tracy said during his pregame presser that Smith was sore, but possibly available to pinch-hit.

Here are your Rockies and Dodgers lineups for tonight’s juego at Coors Field:

One night after sitting out against lefty Clayton Kershaw, Seth Smith finds himself in the five hole in Jim Tracy’s lineup. We only mention it because, well, you never know where Smith is going to find himself in Tracy’s lineup.

Smith is the floater in the Rockies’ order, has been since early in spring training when Tracy called him in his office and told him he would be hitting in various spots in the lineup. Smith is the only Rockies player to hit in five different spots in the order, everywhere but third, fourth and eighth.

He’ll make his ninth start in the five hole tonight. He also has six starts at leadoff, seven in the two hole, 21 in the six spot and two in the seven hole.

Here’s the Rockies’ lineup for tonight’s juego vs. the Dodgers at Coors Field:

SAN DIEGO — Carlos Gonzalez left with two impressions after meeting with manager Jim Tracy before tonight’s game. He could be in center for awhile and, if he regains his strike discipline returns, he will return to the third spot in the order.

“That’s where I’d like to be. Hitting leadoff is something I have done before with success. It doesn’t matter how many RBIs I get at this point, you know, if we aren’t winning,” Gonzalez said. “I need to just focus on getting on base. Maybe this can help.”

The reality is that CarGo and Troy Tulowitzki are both streaky hitters. It makes for a powerful dynamic when they are hot, but can be paralyzing when they are slumping. Splitting the two, even if it’s only for a week or two, creates more options. It opens Gonzalez to steal bases more freely, something that he wasn’t able to do hitting in front of Tulo. It also could create more traffic for Todd Helton, who works an at-bat better than any Rockie, and Tulowitzki.

Gonzalez’s shift to center field bought more time for the Rockies before making a decision on Dexter Fowler. He’s expected to land on the disabled list with a strained left abdomen. He’s not available tonight and Charlie Blackmon is on his way from Triple-A.

Ryan Spilborghs will start in left field tonight with Seth Smith in right even with a left-hander on the mound. Smith will continue to get more at-bats against lefties given his consistency at the plate this season.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.